Australian Dive Expo

The inaugural Australian Dive Expo was a huge success – not just for us, but for the exhibition generally. Believe it or not, even our closest neighbours (the Aussies) don't realise just how much is on their doorstep in New Zealand. It's partly because they have good diving in Australia too, but the reality is that the diving in Australia is a completely different experience – lots of coral reefs and tropical fish up north, and lots of great white sharks down south! In New Zealand we are blessed with the best sub-tropical diving in the world - the Poor Knights - plus an active volcano, the largest intact cruise liner wreck, great cave dives, the clearest fresh water dive in the world, and heaps more.

Pictured top left are Jeroen Jorgens from the New Zealand Underwater Association and Brent Narbey from First Light Travel, presenting the great Jean-Michel Cousteau with a book on the history of diving in New Zealand. Pictured right are John Bennett, who holds the world record for the deepest open circuit scuba dive (a whopping 308 metres/1000 ft!), with Nigel Williamson from First Light Travel. And below right are all the Kiwi crew from the Dive Expo.

Anyway, as part of the Dive Expo we offered a dive show special of 10% off our three Dive/Adventure group tours for all bookings before 30 November 2003. Some conditions apply. To be fair we thought we should offer it to all, so if you're keen get in quick. Remember too, that these tours aren't just for divers – there are plenty of options for non-divers too. The special applies only to direct bookings.

Mountain biking in Rotorua

The week before last I had the great pleasure of a few days in Rotorua. We commandeered a motorhome for a few days and took the mountain bikes and dog with us for a few days in a different location. The beauty of First Light Travel is that we are completely mobile – whether we're in Auckland, Rotorua or Australia doesn't really matter – we're online 24/7.

Anyway, a visit to Rotorua wouldn't be complete for me if I didn't get a ride in Whakarewarewa (Redwood) Forrest. Along with the 42nd Traverse and the Queen Charlotte, Whakarewarewa is one of those bike rides that just get you on a high for days. Unlike the other two rides though, this ride is just a series of shorter tracks through the Forest – anything from 10 to 30 minutes – which you can link together and ride all day. So it's a great place to just ride as fast and as hard as you can, dodging the trees and having a blast.

If you're visiting New Zealand, riding in Whakarewarewa is as simple as turning up and hiring a mountain bike for a few hours. And it's really cheap too!

If you're looking for cycling trips in New Zealand don't be afraid to ask. We simply don't have the time to put all the cycling (and other activity) options up on our website, but that doesn't mean we don't have heaps of options for things to do and tours to join.

Snowboarding at Porter Heights

A few weeks before Rotorua I took a bit of a break with family at Porter Heights Ski Field – the closest ski field to Christchurch. It's a great field with a fantastic family/friendly atmosphere, no crowds, and good snow which is all the better from a few big dumps in the last few weeks. And being a smaller ski field, there are usually fantastic offers for multi-day skiing.

We had great weather (as you can see) and the views from the top of the field are just typical of the fantastic scenery of the South Island. Pictured are Del, yours truly and my Dad, Ron.

We stayed at the Porter Heights Ski Club Lodge, where for just NZ$70 a night you get shared accommodation right on the mountain (one of the few places in New Zealand this is available), great food, and fantastic hospitality from Jenny and John – the resident hosts. And that food, well, all I can say is don't go to the Ski Club Lodge to lose weight!

If you're looking for a ski experience that's a bit different to the normal commercial, typically crowded and less friendly field, then Porter Heights is a great option.

New backpacker dive tour

Just another example of tours that aren't up on our website, we've just put the finishing touches on a backpacker style hop-on hop-off dive tour around the top of the North Island. Visiting the Poor Knights, Rainbow Warrior, Waikato and Bay of Island, this tour is perfect for the cost conscious traveller looking for an inexpensive way to do a 6-day dive tour.

Priced from just NZ$750 plus equipment hire, the tour includes your diving, transport and accommodation, and depart daily all year round Auckland to Auckland.

Anyway, on the plane the movie's started and my drink's arrived, so I'll sign-off for now.

Cheers!